$2M awarded to Houston family after botched FBI rescue mission in 2018 led to father’s death

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Seven years later, a Houston man is finally getting some closure after his father was shot to death by an FBI agent in 2018.

The shooting happened during a botched rescue mission, and now the man’s family is being awarded nearly $2 million.

READ: HPD investigation raises doubts about how kidnapping victim was killed during FBI raid

Ulises Valladares Jr. was just 12 years old when both he and his dad were kidnapped on January 24, 2018. That was the last time they saw each other.

“Sometimes at night, I’m lying down. I try to remember good memories and stuff,” Valladares Jr. said.

According to federal court documents, both were held hostage at their home, and at one point, they were separated when Valladares Sr. was moved to a house in NE Houston.

The FBI was then called to help.

“In this case, Ulises was taken as a hostage and held for ransom, and the FBI went to the place where he was being held,” attorney Randall Kallinen said.

The two agents sent to rescue him were Gaven Lappe and Jefferey Hawkins.

The court documents say that Hawkins saw a silhouette through one of the windows when they got to the home. That prompted Lappe to fire two rounds, killing Valladares Sr., who was blindfolded at the time.

“One of the officers shot him dead. Ulises was unarmed, yet that officer blamed the victim,” Kallinen said.

Investigators say Lappe claimed Valladares Sr. leaned out the window and grabbed his weapon, something his son never believed.

“They were in the obvious wrong, you know, and they couldn’t own up to it and say like they messed up or whatever. They were just trying to lie and cover it up,” Valladares Jr. said.

After reviewing this case, a federal judge in Houston concluded that it never happened and ruled Lappe was quote negligent in the situation and the shots fired were the sole cause of the death of Valladares Sr. While there’s some closure for the family, the pain from the loss still hurts deeply.

“I know not to shoot blindly at something, a 19-year-old. I don’t have to be an FBI agent. The fact that he is still working for the FBI after he killed my dad, that really angers me,” Valladares Jr. said.

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